Return
by Pakari Yacer
Summary: Kitty has arrived in Alexandria, the place where humans and demons first learned to work together. Not knowing whether Bartimaeus ever survived Nouda's rebellion, she decides to find out.
1. Chapter 1

Kitty stepped out from the shade of the canvas-covered street, squinting yet again under the intensely bright Egyptian sun. Her stride was sure and casual, taking in the newness of it all. The sounds and bustle of humanity filled her senses, colors and scents and movement all vying for her undivided attention.

The merchants along the edges of the street called to her, seeing her light skin and foreign clothing as potential money in their pockets. A small smile quirked Kitty's lips. When she had decided to see the world, the government had stepped in and given her a generous stipend as thanks for her leadership during Makepeace's rebellion. She had accepted graciously -as her small earnings of the past three years would barely be enough to get her across Europe, much less several continents- but she did not intend to spend it on trifles. A colorful sun-shading headdress on a stand caught Kitty's eye, and she paused, admiring the brights blues and soft grays. Perhaps she would return after settling in.

After dodging a small cart selling "magical" trinkets- "A charm for the lady? Help you attract the man of your dreams!"- Kitty ascended a long flight of steps. On the top, she paused to allow her body to recover. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, then looked out from her new vantage point. Alexandria spread before her, a relatively small city compared to the modern glory of Cairo, but still it teemed with life and culture. Her view of the ocean was almost blocked by the rows of beachside apartments and rising skyscrapers, but the unending expanse of blue couldn't be covered quite that easily. There was more green than she had expected, lines of tall palms and date trees giving some color to the sandy tans and whites of the city.

Even with her sunhat, the sheer gleaming brilliance of it all was still new to her native Londoner's eyes. Even the sunniest days from her home city couldn't compare to the light-drenched world of Egypt. A world that seemed somehow familiar to her, and she knew exactly where the familiarity sprang from. Images, seen in the chaos of another world, memories from another time, another mind.

And Kitty wondered what Bartimaeus would think of this land now.

She turned away, moving forward again down the lane. If he was still alive, she would find out what the djinni thought soon enough.

Her stomach growled at her, and Kitty sighed. She had spied many places to potentially fill herself, but had put it off in the desire to find her lodgings for the week. It seemed, however, that she might not be able to restrain it any longer. She resigned herself to searching for a suitable place and soon located one. An outdoor cafe, resplendent with real potted plants and elegantly simple furniture, nestled and shaded against the side of what might have once been an ancient wall. Kitty ordered herself a pair of stuffed pitas, then looked over the available seating. The small place seemed to be popular with both natives and tourists, and there was only one table with a single occupant. Her breath caught.

It was a young man reading a newspaper, and from her perspective she saw dark hair and a black suit, legs crossed in an air of casual authority. Her Radiance revealed him as a magician, the echoes of her aura returning to her strongly. But then she saw the thin dark glasses and green eyes, the thin mouth curved in dissatisfaction. Kitty narrowed her eyes and shook her head slightly, berating herself. Of course it wasn't him. And she needed to sit down.

Shrugging her bags with a huff, Kitty set off towards the waiting chair. He noticed her approach, eyes flicking up at her appraisingly. They seemed mildly disappointed. She almost huffed again before remembering the state of her features. She'd never been a real looker, but now… Kitty sent out a preliminary strike, a sweet smile. "Is this seat taken?"

The magician huffed, turning a page. "Would have been, if she'd only showed up. Go on, it's yours now." Kitty blinked at the unexpected information, but set her bags down with a sigh of relief. As she sat, she noted that the magicians eyes were still on her over the edge of his newspaper.

She met his gaze evenly, then took a deliberate bite of her pita, relishing the mix of flavors. He looked away, feigning disinterest. Kitty didn't really mind, she'd gotten enough odd looks for a lifetime. A young woman with white hair, and the ghosts of lines that really should not be present on such a young face. And with his lenses, she still, even after months, positively glowed with magical power from the Other Place.

Kitty set to work on the pitas.

"Are you Kathleen Jones?" She froze mid-bite. The magician had set the paper down, and leaned forward slightly in the attitude of attention. She finished her bite, a light dread filling her every bit as much as the food was.

"Yes. Who is asking?"

"Jared Redwayn." He reached his hand out, and Kitty examined her own, slightly sticky, before holding it out with a smile. He took it gingerly, but it did not seem to diminish his sudden curiosity. "I've heard much about you."

"And how, indeed, have you? I remember making pains to not be heard about."

"My old master, who was present at the theatre and the events succeeding, told me what happened. Your actions were… prominent in his telling of the story."

"Well, glad to hear I'm remembered well," she replied, trying to push down the sudden wave of surliness.

"Absolutely," Redwayn continued,"Your presence quite inspired him, truth be told, and it can't be denied that without your assistance Nouda might never have been stopped." He leaned forward suddenly, then hesitated. "Is it true that you opened the way to the Other Place?"

She met his eyes. "No."

He paused, surprised.

She clarified, "A spirit opened the way for me."

Redwayn sat back, green eyes wide. There was a pause, and Kitty finished her first pita. "Oh yes… Bartimaeus, was it? That is… incredible."

"Yes. If you don't believe me, I can show you how to do it. It's not difficult in principle. It's finding a spirit you're willing to trust that's the hard part."

"No, no, that's not what I meant," he backpedaled furiously. "I'm just amazed, this kind of thing hasn't been done for, well,"

"3000 years," she finished. She was beginning to feel a slight annoyance for some reason, but she shoved it away. He was just curious.

Redwayn considered her words for a moment, rubbing his clean-shaven chin ponderously. "A commoner… visiting the Other Place…" then he looked up suddenly. "I'm sorry if that offends you."

"You're fine. I'm not a magician." _Well, not entirely true. _

"You were not alone, as far as I remember. What was your relationship to John Mandrake?"

The question came out of the blue and pierced her, and Kitty's dark eyes shot up to meet Redwayn's. He blinked at the speed of her reaction. She took a slow breath, then swallowed before speaking. "He was—."

_Her hands, inexplicably warm despite the cold stone of the floor where she lay, Nathaniel looking down at her with eyes full of relief and concern. Nathaniel, speaking against a madman, risking himself to save her life. Nathaniel, his eyes, humbled, softened, looking to her that last time, the Staff of Gladstone humming in his hand, his blood staining the grass. That smile, hiding his fear and pain so that she would feel better. "See you later." _

"-my friend."

Redwayn looked down, almost abashedly. "I, I'm sorry, that was rather blunt of me-"

"It was three months ago," she stated crisply. "I'll be fine."

_Her slow, aching journey back into the wreckage of the great glass dome, hoping against hope that Bartimaeus and Nathaniel would still be alive. And then she saw the melted skeletons of iron, the crater of blasted glass. And then the sudden knowledge that nothing, human or spirit, could have possibly survived. _

Kitty took a deep breath then moved to gather her things. ""It was nice to meet you, but-"

Wait, no, don't leave on account of me," Redwayn broke in, standing suddenly. "I was going to leave soon anyway, Miss Jones. Forgive my brusqueness, it is a trait I am struggling to improve." He gave a little laugh, rubbing his chin once before brushing off his jacket and bowing slightly. "It was an honor to meet you in person. And please, I would love to learn more about Ptolemy's Gate, and your experiences therein. If you are willing, and free in the near future…" "Unfortunately, I will only be in Egypt for a week."

Jared Redwayn's countenance visibly fell, but he reached into his jacket pocket. "Well, in case you change your mind, Miss Jones." He pulled out a slim dark card, and she reluctantly took it. "It was a pleasure, and I wish you a good day."

She nodded back to him, avoiding the young man's eyes. "Same to you."

And then he was gone.

Kitty looked down at her empty tray, and then at the small gray card in her hand. Part of her wanted to drop it and throw the whole thing away. With a huff, Kitty shoved it deep into her bag, then stood. It was time to get to the hotel.


	2. Chapter 2

Later, she sat on her bed, contemplating. Would this really be a good idea? Was he even alive? What if he was alive, but still recovering? If he was alive, what did that mean for his and Nathaniel's bond?

Kitty held her head in her hands. What would she say? What would _he_ say? Something witty, undoubtedly. He _was _Bartimaeus. But…

She scowled and stood. What did she have to lose? Absolutely nothing. She set to work, drawing and placing and lighting the various materials she had bought so confidently earlier that day. Soon, a pair of pentagrams were drawn on the wooden floor, rough but sound, save for a single area where the lines were not connected. A grave mistake for any other magical practitioner, but Kitty was nothing if not unique.

Kitty stood in her broken circle, hands shaking slightly. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm. She had wondered for several months what might occur if she tried summoning again. But the same answer to what she might lose was also what she feared the most.

That nothing would come. That nothing would answer. And that Bartimaeus of Uruk, the Serpent of Silver Plumes, Sakrah-al-Djinni, Rekkit of Alexandria, and the owner of several dozen other titles— her friend—was dead.

But now she was here, in the place that he had loved, where he had met the first human he had loved, the symbolic link between the human and spirit worlds. And Kitty would wait no longer.

She spoke the words, ending with a name. Bartimaeus. And then she waited.

The pull of energy from her began almost immediately, and she felt a sudden surge of hope. Maybe it would— no, she would wait and see. Do not hope too much. But the power being taken from her and sent to the Other Place was far greater than the first time she had summoned the djinni. Panic suddenly flared in her, and she looked down at the chalk down on the floor beside her foot. What if it was not Bartimaeus that was coming, but something else? A spirit that was very much not friendly to her, but would enter the gap in the pentacles and consume her in a heartbeat? No, that was impossible, but why did it feel so different?

And then she began to hear voices. Not the slithering or whispering of a demonic trick or illusion, but two distinct voices, dim with distance. After a moment of thought, Kitty realized what it was. Her Radiance was allowing her to hear the spirit before they arrived. She bent to the floor, hand on the chalk, and listened.

"-show them what you're made of! Or, rather don't, I'm not sure the magician will know what to make of you if you tell them the specifics."

"Does it always hurt this bad?"

"First time's the worst, but try doing it multiple times in a week. Once, back in Prague, there was a master who was so indecisive about his summoning-"

"Deloces? Or Ashbarya?"

"-Entniron, actually, you won't have heard of him for a reason I'll soon explain- oh we're almost there. Well, get your guise ready, it's your first one so you have to make a good impression!"

Kitty cocked her head. That first voice was definitely Bartimaeus, but the surge of relief and happiness that she had been expecting had been undercut by the strange appearance of the second voice. She did not quite recognize it…

"Now, I don't recommend anything with too many claws or horns or anything ridiculous or over-the-top-showy, with a being if your power I think a subtle menace will do just right."

"But not too abstract?"

"That mostly depends on the master, but yes, that's generally a good point. Take my first appearance to you, for example—"

Oh you mean that silly column of smoke with the glowing eyes and echoing voice?"

"Hold on, _silly?_ I almost scared you out of your trousers, thank you very much- oh here we are." A pause. "Well, knock 'em dead, Nat, literally, if you can. This pentacle's kinda cramped."

"No promises."

Immediately, the sunlight entering the room dimmed. The candles flickered, and the dull whoosh of a heavy wind murmured through Kitty's room. A tricklingly solid finger of the utmost darkness rose from the center of the opposite pentacle, then with a _crack _of sound, a humanoid figure appeared in the air above Kitty. It gleamed with the blackest night, and seemed more like the outline of a person, if they had been cut out of the fabric of space with dull scissors. A pressure built in Kitty's ears with the beings power, and it's hands, open and relaxed, were vague with the suggestion of destructive energies swirling endlessly around them.

"Hmm, classy," came the muttered, _surprised_, words.

"Who _dares _summon—" the figure suddenly broke off, its fearsomely resonating voice just… stopping. It paused, and cocked its head at her.

She spoke first, voice faint, barely audible. "Nathaniel?"

Energy suddenly swirled and there, before her, was a handsomely dressed young man with clipped dark hair. And she knew him. Nathaniel blinked, and gave a rather nervous quirk of his lips that might have passed for a smile. "Um, hello, Kitty."

In the speechless interim, another figure materialized and poked its head out from behind the slim figure of the magician. A small dark Egyptian boy. His eyes moved between the two of them. "Well, _this_ complicates matters."

Kitty took a deep breath, that shook slightly within her. "...How?" The word emerged, soft and wondering, and Kitty dared not say anything else for fear of what might emerge.

"Well, we're not entirely sure…" Nathaniel began, running a hand through his hair in a contemplative fashion. "But it seems like the human soul and a spirits essence are much more similar than previously thought, and I think that the explosion set off by the destruction of the staff was of sufficient power to not only to disintegrate my body instantly,"

"It certainly did that," came Bartimaeus from behind.

Nathaniel's words came fast, anxious. "It also converted my soul into something that was… welcome in the Other Place? Now, I think this is only possible because… Kitty, what's wrong? Why are you… oh. Please, don't cry…" Nathaniel looked about desperately, "Bartimaeus, what do I-"

"Oh don't look at _me_. This is firmly in your side of the court, buddy." The chalk in Kitty's hand dropped to the floor, and she roughly wiped at her face, but the tears came faster than she could swipe them away. She cursed, and furtively tried to look away, but suddenly he had crossed the broken pentacles to kneel in front of her.

"Kitty, I…" he attempted, then reached out to touch her shoulder. His grip was firm, _real_. Through a mist, she met his eyes. They were wide, unsure, full of helpless concern. But they shone with light.

And then Nathaniel reached out and embraced her. "I said I'd see you again. I've broken a lot of promises, but…" His grip tightened, and she remained stiff with shock and surprise. "I'm glad I got to keep that one."

Kitty choked out a laugh, and found herself softening in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder, and she reached up, awkwardly returning the embrace. She realized that she had never actually hugged him at any time when he was alive, not even in the final hours.

"Me too."

...  
_I don't plan to continue this idea... as much as i love it. If i get some show of interest, maybe I'll consider it, but right now i have too much other writing on my plate, what with re-setting my main WIP and things XD thanks for reading! _


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